Snapshot of Property Around the World

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Not everyone likes following the herd, and the world is full of all sorts of exciting possibilities to suit every sort of lifestyle buyer or investor.

Starting close to home, there are plenty of options in Europe with Austria and Switzerland ever popular with Alpine enthusiasts, although Andorra and Bulgarian can offer low-cost ski home options this winter too.

For summer holidays, the Balkans are also perennial favourites, with the stunning islands of Croatia, the lakeside towns of Slovenia and the new marinas and resorts of Montenegro all with small armies of fans.

Whilst the North African market has gone a little quiet since the Syrian conflict, your money goes a long way in beautiful South Africa at the time of writing - and sits alongside New Zealand, Australia and Canada as the far-flung relocation hot spots. And let's not forget Australia - still a much loved favourite with the Brits thinking of moving to sunnier climes.

For winter sun the most popular Caribbean markets are Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia and Grand Cayman, the Indian Ocean, the Far Eastern favourite of Thailand, glitzy Dubai or islands such as Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores.

For investors seeking high returns, New York and Berlin are in favour at the moment - as is the resurgent Republic of Ireland - whilst slightly more left-field choices are Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico and Brazil - and even Cuba is set to open its doors to foreign buyers soon.